The role of county commissioner should not be inherently political. I prefer it that way because I’m not a career politician; I’m a 15-year Fort Worth police veteran and business owner. My goal is simple: to serve our community and leave it better than I found it.
In just two and a half years, we’ve made a meaningful impact in our precinct and across the county. Much of what we do — building and maintaining roads, managing tax rates and budgets, and ensuring critical infrastructure, public health and public safety — is nonpartisan by nature.
However, redistricting is one area where politics and policy inevitably intersect. It must be approached with clarity, transparency and purpose.
I don’t expect to hold this office forever. That’s why I believe it’s my responsibility to act now to help preserve the kind of leadership that has served Tarrant County well. Conservative leadership has kept taxes low, prioritized responsible spending, upheld the rule of law and maintained the quality of life that makes our county one of the most desirable places to live in Texas.
We’ve seen what happens when leadership shifts drastically without planning. In both Dallas and Harris counties, when their commissioners’ courts flipped to Democratic control, redistricting was used swiftly and aggressively. Today, Dallas County has a 5-0 Democratic court, and Harris County is 4-1. These changes were followed by rising taxes, budget instability and growing public safety challenges — costly distractions from the core responsibilities of county government.
Meanwhile, Tarrant County has grown by nearly 20% since we last redrew districts in 2010, from 1.8 million to over 2.3 million residents. If we ignore the opportunity to thoughtfully redraw precinct lines today, we risk setting the stage for a similar trajectory in the years ahead. That’s not fearmongering; it’s foresight. Planning for long-term stability is a fundamental duty of leadership.
Some have raised concerns about racial gerrymandering. Let me be clear: At no point have racial, gender or religious demographic data played any role in this process. Those characteristics do not determine someone’s ability to serve their community. Tarrant County has a long history of electing minority candidates regardless of precinct demographics.
Our county is about 18% Black, 30% Hispanic and 42% white. The current Commissioners Court is 40% Black, 40% White and 20% Hispanic. This demonstrates that voters in Tarrant County choose their leaders based on values and merit, not identity.
I understand the frustration among some in our community, particularly those hoping to see Tarrant County turn blue sooner rather than later. But this process isn’t about denying anyone representation, gaining power or stacking the deck. It’s about ensuring we continue to have steady, effective leadership that prioritizes results over rhetoric and policies that work over political theater. We’ve already seen the degradation of decorum when politics seeps into every discussion. We need to return to focusing on delivering the highest quality of service to our communities, not just getting attention.
Since this process began, we’ve been consistent. When asked for my map input, I communicated to the Public Interest Legal Foundation, which is assisting with this process, that my goals are to: (1) balance precinct populations, (2) provide an opportunity for an additional Republican-leaning seat to maintain long-term stability, and (3) make minimal changes to Precinct 4’s boundaries. Some of the proposed maps reflect those objectives, others do not. There is still ample room for refinement.
Whatever the ultimate outcome, my commitment remains the same: to support a redistricting process that is legal and rooted in what’s best for Tarrant County, not just today but for the next decade and beyond. I know not everyone will agree with this position, and that’s OK, but everyone will know where I stand. In a perfect world, redistricting wouldn’t be partisan. But in the real world, it is political — and it is necessary. Now is the time to act, while we can still ensure that Tarrant County’s future is shaped by the conservative principles that have made it the greatest place in America.